Sunday, November 7, 2010

OPI Axxium vs. Shellac

OPI Axxium vs. Shellac

If you haven’t heard the latest and greatest in the nail world…here it goes. There are two new products on the market, okay, so maybe they’re not so “new” anymore, but still only a handful of salons are offering these products at this time. I’m assuming the number of participating salons will soon grow, much like the medicinal marijuana dispensaries out in California have, making it easier to find a place close by so you can get your fix!

I have tried the OPI Axxium a good handful of times. It’s a soak off gel lacquer offered in their most popular colors (Linkin Park After Dark, Cajun Shrimp, Bubble Bath, etc.) and for someone like me who was used to painting my nails almost EVERY night in order to keep them looking fresh, this was a life saver! The first time I got them done, I chose the color “You Don’t Know Jacques”. It’s that putty-gray-beige color, one of my favorites because it’s so neutral, but still trendy. They paint on the gel, which is the actual color of the polish, unlike the old fashioned gel, where they would paint your nails with regular nail polish and coat it with a clear gel. Then they apply about three coats of the gel and then a top clear coat, and you stick your hands under the UV light thing a few times and POOF! You’re all done before you know it! They advertise that the gel stays on for a good two weeks. Unfortunately, I have yet to go beyond ten days MAX! And on more than one occasion, I’ve had to return to the salon to have them fix a lifted or chipped nail within the first two or three days.

Now on to Shellac. Shellac is actually a resin secreted by a bug on trees in India and Thailand. It is then made into a liquid used in a variety of forms as a glaze, mostly for wood finish. It is said to possess good insulation qualities and seal out moisture, so sounds like it was only a matter of time before they would expand into the beauty realm. The Shellac we now know and love is manufactured by a company called CND. Their marketing line promises: 14-Day Wear, Zero Dry Time, Mirror Finish. And I thank them for living up to their promise. My first Shellac experience brought me back to 1994 where I had to make and actual appointment with a nail tech at a salon (remember those days?). On the CND web site (www.cnd.com) you can search for a salon near you to find out who is doing the Shellac. This brought me to a little salon in the heart of Viet Town here in Orlando. Freesia Beauty Spa (off Colonial Drive, between Mills and Fern Creek). I must give a shout out to my friend Julie for first introducing me to the product and the salon (Thanks, Jules) It was nice to walk into a place where there were only two nail techs, no drills and no sign of a flat screen VIZIO TV playing Celine Dion’s Taking Chances Tour on DVD. Helen first had to soak off my OPI Axxium (which took a good 25 minutes) and of course at the time I had on “Russian Navy”, which if any of you have ever worn, it’s a deep blue color which had SO much dye in it, the little bowl of acetone that my nails were soaking in looked like the color of the Caribbean immediately after I stuck my hands in. I was excited to do my own little experiment, comparing the two products and making a mental pros and cons list (which we will be addressing). I picked out my color, opting for the classic French manicure, but Helen had another plan. She said my nail beds were too narrow and it wouldn’t look right, so I chose another classic, RED. I figured it pretty much goes with anything and would be a nice break from the almost black I was used to wearing. Much like the OPI, the Shellac comes in the form of a colored polish and it’s painted on your nail in about two coats, again, with a top clear coat. One difference which I was most excited about was that there was no drilling or filing of the top of my nails. I have extremely thin, weak nails as it is, so it was quite a relief to skip that part. In about 30 minutes, I was on my way (well, after I convinced a man at the Chinese Herbal Tea store next door to let me in after the closing hour of 6 pm to get some Green Tea). It is now day 12 and I have already made my next appointment with Helen for day 14 for my next session. Hopefully she’ll agree to do the French Manicure this time, you know, since I’m paying her and all. So, the verdict? Shellac WINS!!! (Sorry, OPI. You’ve got one great color palate with some clever names, but when it comes down to durability and resilience, Shellac comes out ahead).

Here’s a little breakdown of the OPI Axxium vs. Shellac that helped me come up with a clear winner: